Elevator-shaft closure and operating means therefor.



PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

S. E. AUSTIN. V ELEVATOR SHAFT CLOSURE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 27' 1906.

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PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907. S. B. AUSTIN.

ELEVATOR SHAFT CLOSURE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 27. 1906. I

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Noi 865,750. r PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

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ELEVATOR SHAFT CLOSURE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR. A-PPLIOATION FILED NOV. 27. 1006.

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UNITED STATES.

SAMUEL E. AUSTIN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ELEVATOR-SHAFT CLOSURE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

Application filed November 27, 1906. Serial No. 345.332-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL E. AUSTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Elevator-Shaft Closure and Operating Means Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of elevator shaft closures wherein sets of covers or doors are employed that are alternately collected from and deposited at the different floors by the elevator car upon its upward and downward movements.

One of the primary objects in the present invention is to provide novel, exceedingly simple and thoroughly effective means for supporting the closures in the shaft and upon the elevator car, said means automatically delivering the closure from one to the other, being of a nature and so constructed that they are not apt to become deranged, and being furthermore applicable to elevators already in use.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wh erein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of an elevator shaft, showing the improved mechanism therein. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through the shaft. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the shaft hooks. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the elevator car hooks. Fig. 6 is a face view of the hook shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing the relation of the hooks when passing each. other. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the closure frame. Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view of one corner of, the same shown on an enlarged scale. Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the closure.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated, the elevator shaft-is designated generally by the reference numeral 11, and the floors through which said shaft passes, are designated 12. The elevator car operating in the shaft, is shown at 13, and may be of any structure desired. A set of closures 14 are located above the elevator car, and are arranged to be successively deposited at the different floors during the downward movement of said elevator car and collected upon the top of the elevator car, as said elevator car ascends. Another set of closures 15 are disposed beneath the elevator car, and are arranged to be deposited at the different floors when the elevator car ascends, said closures 15 being collected beneath the elevator car during its descent. As a result of this arrangement, the shaft will be closed at each floor, and at all times, except during the passage of the elevator car through a floor.

A set of supporting members 16 is located at each floor for supporting the closures, four of these members constituting a set. Inasmuch as all of said members are substantial duplicates, a description of one is believed to be sufficient. Such member is shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 6. A base plate 17 is secured to the wall of the elevator shaft by suitable fasteners passed through openings 18 in the plate, and said plate is provided on its upper portion with inwardly extending ears 19. A hook 20 has its upper end portion pivoted as shown at 21 'to and between the ears 19, the lower portion of said hook being provided with an inwardly extending bill 22 that is preferably bifurcated as shown at 23. A guide 24, carried by the base plate 17, projects into the bifurcation. A leaf spring 25 is interposed between the base plate 17 and hook 20, and serves to yieldingly maintain the same in projecting relation, the inward movement of said hook being limited by a stop lug26, carried by the upper end of the hook and engaging the upper end of the base plate. The hook is furthermore provided with a cam leaf 27 that is located on one side of said hook, and at-one side of the bill 22, said cam leaf extending below the hook and beyond the inner end of the bill. The base plate furthermore is provided at one side of the hook with inwardly extending integral ears 28, between which is journaled an actuating device in the form of a roller 29. As already stated, four of these members are secured within the shaft at each floor, and the members of each set are disposed out of vertical alinement with the members of all the other sets, as will be evident particularly by reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

The lower end of the elevator car is also provided with a plurality of sets of supporting members, each set cooperating with one of the sets of shaft supporting members and having its paths of movement intersecting the same. As these supporting members of the elevator car are also substantially the same, a description of one is believed to be sufficient for all. A base plate 30 is employed having outstanding ears 31, to and between which is pivoted the upper end of a hook 32 that has at its lower end an outstanding bill 33. A leaf spring 34, interposed between the hook and base plate, normally but yieldingly maintains the hook 32 in projecting relation, and a stop lug 35, carried by the upper end of the hook 32, bears against the plate 30 to limit such outward movement. The hook 32 is provided at one side with the cam leaf 36 that is located at one side of the bill 33, and has its widest portion projecting beyond the same. Spaced ears 37, carried by the lower corner of the base plate 30 and on the opposite side of the hook to the cam leaf 36, have journaled thereon, and therebetween an actuating roller 38. As shown, particularly in Fig. 2, the members of each set of these elevator car supporting members are disposed alongside and slightly higher than the members of the adjacent set, and are secured to suitable fastening plates 39. Moreover, as already stated, and as shown in Fig. 2, the paths of movement ofthe members of one set are intersected by the members of one of the sets secured to the shaft, and are out of line with those of all the other sets.

While any suitable closures may be employed in connection with these supporting members, the structure preferably employed is disclosed in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. An angular frame is provided, consisting of tubular side bars 40 connected at their ends to corner pieces 41 that have webs 42 on their inner sides. Tie wires or rods 43 connect the diagonally connected corner pieces and are disposed in intersecting relation. These tie wires or rods are stretched apart to secure the proper tension and are fastened at their points of intersection, and as shown at 44. If desired, the securing means may be extended, as shown at 45 to the adjacent side bars. Braces 46 may also be disposed across the corners and connected to the side bars, The space within the frame thus produced, is covered by wire netting 47 upon which is placed a sheet 48 of asbestos or other incombustible material. The closures 14 of the upper set are provided with outstanding lips 49, and said lips of each closure are arranged to engage the hooks 22 of one of the sets of shaft members, but are disposed out of alinement with those of the others. The closures 15 of the lower set are provided with outstanding yokes 50, having rollers 51 at their outer ends. These rollers 51 are arranged to coact with the hooks 20 of one set of shaft members 16 and with the hooks 32 of one set of elevator car members, but are disposed out of line with all the other sets.

The operation of the structure may be briefly described as follows. As the elevator car moves downwardly from the top floor, the lips 49 of the topmost closure of the upper set will come into engagement with the bills 22 of the supporting members of the shaft at the upper floor, and consequently the closure will be supported thereby. The next upper closure will engage the bills of the supporting members 16 at the next floor, and so on down to the bottom of the shaft During this downward movement, the lower set of closures which are distributed at the different floors will be collected upon the bottom of the elevator car, and the cooperation between the sets of supporting members it is thought will be clear by reference to Fig. 7. When the lower closures 15 are in place at tliedifferent floors, the rollers 51 will be supported on the bills 22 of the hooks 20, and as the elevator car descends, the actuating devices 29 associated with said hooks will first engage the cams 36 of the corresponding elevator car members, forcing the hooks 32 rearwardly so that the bills 33 will pass freely through the yokes 50, until said bills 33 are permitted to move outwardly beneath the rollers 51 and into the slots of the bills 22 of the hooks 20, as illustrated in Fig. 7. It will thus be seen that at this point, both hooks are engaged beneath the roller 5]., and that upon the retirement of either hook, the other will support the roller. A. continued downward movement of the elevator car will cause the rollers 29 to be disengaged from the cams 30 and the springs 34 will force the bills 36 of the hooks 32 beneath said rollers. At the same time, the rollers 38 will engage the cams 27 and force said cams and consequently the hooks 2O rearwardly. This will effect the disengagement of the bills 22 from the rollers, and consequently the closure will now be suspended from the elevator car. An exactly reverse movement of the above will take place upon the upward movement of the elevator car so that the supports will be successively deposited upon the hooks 20 of the shaft members. At the same time, the closures of the upper set will be successively collected on the top of the car.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation andmany advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it willbe understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a structure of the class described, the combination with oppositely disposed hooks, relatively movable past each other, and movable toward and from each other during their passage, of a cam carried by each hook, and an actuating device located alongside each hook and engaging the cam of the opposite hook during the passing of the hooks to effect the movement of said hooks.

2. In a structure of the class described, the combination with a swinging hook having a cam located at one side of the same and at one side of the bill of said hook, of a device that operates against the cam to swing the hook, said hook with its cam and said device being relatively movable past each other to etfect the swinging of the hook by the device. Y

In a structure of the class described, the combination with a swinging hook having a cam located at one side of the same and at one side of the bill of said hook, said cam projecting beyond the bill, of a roller that operates against the cam to swing the hook, said hook with the cam and the roller being relatively movable past each other to effect the engagement of the cam and roller, said bill and cam being disposed in different paths.

4. I11 a structure of the class described, the combination with oppositely swinging hooks relatively movable past each other, of a cam carried by each hook, and an actuating device located alongside each hook and engaging the cam of the other hook during the passing of said hooks to effect their swinging movements.

5. In a structure of the class described, the combination with swinging hooks relatively movable past each other and having oppositely projecting bills, of a cam carried by each hook and disposed at one side of its bill, and an actu= ating device including a roller located alongside each hook and engaging the cam of the other hook during the passing of the hooks to effect their swinging movements,

(5. In a structure of the class described, the combination with a base plate, of a hook pivoted thereon and having an outstanding bill, a spring interposed between the plate and hook for holding the latter in projecting position, a cam secured to the hook, and a device disposed in the path of movement of the cam and out of the path oi the movement; of the bill for effecting the swinging movement of the hook.

T. In a structure of the class described, the combination with an elevator shaft and an elevator car movable therein, of a hook pivoted on one side of the shaft and having a cam, an oppositely disposed hook pivoted on the elevator car and having a cam, an actuating device located along: side the shaft hook and disposed in the path of movement of the cam of the elevator car hook, another actuating device mounted alongside the elevator car hook and having its path of movement intersecting the cam of the shaft hook, and a shaft closure having a projection that is alternately engaged by the hooks during their passage.

8. In a structure of the class described, the combination with an elevator shaft and an elevator car movable therein, of a hook pivoted on one side of the shaft and having an inwardly extending bill and an inwardly extending cam disposed at one side of the bill, an oppositely disposed hook pivoted on the elevator car and having an outwardly extending bill and an outwardly extending cam located atone side of said bill, the bill of the elevator car hook movable past the bill of the shaft hook, an actuating device located alongside each hook and arranged to engage the cam of the other hook during the passage of said hooks, and a shaft closure having a yoke that moves to a position between the hooks and is alternately engaged by the same during the passage of said hooks.

9. In a structure of the class described, the combination with an elevator shaft and an elevator car movable therein, of base plates secured respectively to the shaft and elevator car, oppositely disposed hooks pivoted at their upper ends .to the base plates and having oppositely extending bills at their lower ends, said bills being disposed in intersecting paths, springs interposed between the base plates and hooks for urging the latter in opposite directions, oppositely projecting cams located on opposite sides of and carried directly by the hooks, said cams being disposed at the sides of the bills, an actuating device located alongside each hook and including a roller that engages the cam of the opposite hook, and a shaft closure having a projecting yoke provided with a roller that is arranged to engage alternately with the hooks during the passing of said hooks.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL E. AUSTIN.

Witnesses BERNARD Av SCHMITZ, W. W. ROBERTS. 

